Articles

I always assumed I’d work a full-time job until the day I retired. I had never even heard of per diem employment, much less considered it as an option for myself. Then, three years into physical therapy practice, I found myself at a crossroads. I had been working two part-time jobs at small outpatient orthopedic clinics, feeling a bit overwhelmed by both, and longing to get back to a hospital environment . A former classmate of mine …

You’ve heard the adage that fact can be stranger than fiction, right? After all, fiction has to make sense. Well, when it comes to Medicare rules, neither fact nor fiction makes much sense—at least not on first pass. But, all rehab therapists who work with Medicare patients must be able to tell the difference—if they want to remain compliant and get paid, that is. To help you put your Medicare knowledge to the test, we’ve put together …

Let’s take a little trip to the past: the year was 1997. “Titanic” was smashing box office records as moviegoers flocked to theaters for their third or fourth viewing; “Wannabe” by Spice Girls was hitting the airwaves on every Top 40 station; and large-scale healthcare reform was barely stepping into the legislative limelight. To hamper exorbitant healthcare spending, the Clinton administration signed the Balanced Budget Act into law and thus, introduced the Medicare therapy cap . Fast …

The overarching theme of Ascend 2017 —the fourth-annual installment of rehab therapy’s premier business summit—was, quite simply, “Think big.” But, based on what we learned from our esteemed group of speakers over the course of two inspiration-filled days in Washington, DC, a more accurate tagline for this year’s conference might have been, “Think differently.” After all, in a field as complex as health care, grand aspirations are not enough. To solve the problems plaguing this industry, we …

Hey, have you heard the good news? CMS has completed all required action items laid out in the Jimmo v. Sebelius settlement. If you’re scratching your head and wondering why that matters, here’s the rundown: a few years ago, a group of Medicare providers alleged that CMS contractors made determinations on claims for skilled care based on an inappropriate “Improvement Standard.” These providers took CMS to court, and the court determined that CMS needed to clarify and …

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of excuses as to why PTs who don’t practice in states with unrestricted physical therapy direct access shouldn’t bother marketing to patients or even accepting direct access patients at all—excuses like: “We can't see patients without a referral.” “Our physicians send us plenty of patients.” “Our payers make us obtain referrals, anyway.” “I couldn’t possibly charge cash for my services.” And my personal favorite: “There’s no point in marketing to …

When you think about October, you likely think of kids leaping into piles of crunchy, dried leaves, a freshly carved jack-o-lantern on your front porch, and maybe a spooky meme or two . But at WebPT, we’re thinking about physical therapists. (To be fair, PTs are pretty much always on our minds.) That’s because the APTA has dubbed October National Physical Therapy Month , and we think it’s the perfect reason to celebrate professionals who are dedicated …

While you’re no doubt laser-focused on providing quality care to your patients, you may occasionally overlook some administrative tasks. You’re busy; it happens. I’m not trying to add one more thing to the list of worries that keep you tossing and turning at night; but, I do want to make you aware of a benefit you may be entitled to—but missing out on. I’m talking about the ADA tax credit of up to $5,000, which helps practices …

If you’re a travel physical therapist looking to build the travel career of your dreams , then listen up, because I’m about to lend you one of the best pieces of advice you’ll ever get: work with multiple recruiters at all times. It may seem simple, but trust me—it’ll pay big dividends. In this post, I’ll dive into the finer details of working with multiple recruiters and explain why it is so essential for success as a …

It’s common knowledge that acquiring new patients is significantly more expensive than keeping existing ones. How much more expensive? According to this Harvard Business Review article —which WebPT’s Kylie McKee cited here —“Depending on which study you believe, and what industry you’re in, acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.” Even if your numbers are on the low end of that range—and that seems unlikely for …